SAN ANTONO — Sometimes a good cheesy enchilada hits the spot, and a topping of poblano cream sauce just makes it even better.

The enchiladas poblanas at La Gardenia can add a bit of spice and a lot of richness to an ordinary day. They're simple, but each element adds to the whole. The shredded chicken inside rolled corn tortillas has good flavor and a bit of juiciness, while the tortillas convey a nice corn masa flavor. The cream of chile poblano sauce has the tiniest bit of heat, while the Oaxaca cheese adds richness and mellows out the already mild spice.

Those enchiladas are on the regular menu and were also a lunch special on the day our group visited. They proved the favorite of our group during a recent lunch visit.

La Gardenia has been serving the East Side for more than 20 years, a quiet success as a neighborhood Tex-Mex place, with tables packed during lunch and a staff that seemed to recognize plenty of regulars.

Items such as the tender and flavorful tacos al pastor keep customers coming back. The meat is juicy and the tacos have plenty of onion and cilantro for extra texture and flavor. They'd be even better with some small slices of pineapple, but they're satisfying as they are.

Other items are classic Tex-Mex, such as the nachos, with a layer of thick corn chips topped with refried beans and melty yellow cheese. I'd rather see individual chips with their own toppings, because the chips usually retain their texture better. Admittedly, that's a stylistic preference.

The soft chicken tacos are solidly rendered, as is an order of pork in chile colorado.

Huevos rancheros could have used more ranchero sauce, but the fries that accompanied them captured attention. These were cut in small pieces, no more than an inch long, and fried thoroughly, so the potatoes had plenty of crunchy and tasty edges. Nice touch.

Another nice touch comes in the bacon and egg breakfast taco, in which diced bacon is mixed into eggs before they're scrambled. It's a step that takes extra time, but it's the attention to detail that stands out. Overall, the breakfast tacos are solid.

If you're getting them to go, order at the connecting bakery room. Or get one of the pieces of pan dulce, also made in house. Yet another reason for the longevity of this place.